Suggestions on how to get over anxiety while giving speeches and presentations?

Question

I give alot of presentations and a few speeches for a few of my classes. before the speech i am optimistic and not nervous at all. I am not nervous before or rigth before the attention is on me but as soon as the presentation or speech begins it is over. I can not concentrate, have problems even completing sentences, and my train of thought is absolutely gone. it is very noticable that i am cracking to everyone observing. I need help because i do not want to be this way. Thanks.

Answer 1

Know your material well. Practice Practice Practice! You do not always have to say every single word. I give presentations on a regular basis and I often find myself going over everything in my head prior to my arrival. I try to also cover the what ifs; what if someboby says-------, what if I forget a certain part.
I am in sals and I also have to contend with the various objections and I find that it i best to know my material extremely well even though I will only use a fraction of what I know. It also helps to believe in the topic.If you do not believe in what your saying, then how is anybody else going to.

The Three Believes:
1. Believe in what you are selling ( an actor believes in the character he is playing, a salesman believes in the product and the company, a politician... pretends to believe in his persuasion)
2. Believe in the person or persons whom you are speaking to
3. MOST IMPORTANTLY Believe in yourself.
If you give it your all and the crowd doesnt like it do not worry about it. Learn from your mistakes and let the crowd kiss your behind.
At least you had the guts to get in front of them

Answer 2

Practice, practice, practice. Do this in two ways: first, keep giving presentations and speeches! The more you do it, the easier it gets. Second, practice your presentation many times before you give it. The more prepared you are BEFORE you step up there, the more confident you will be. If none of that works, you may have social anxiety and should discuss it with a counselor. That said, it is alright to be nervous. That is normal. Good luck!

Answer 3

I am single mum. I have been suffering for panic attacks for some 15 years now, though it was not until recently I understood what they were. They were progressively getting stronger and more frequent, stopping me from some days even leaving my house. I read this book and it all made perfect sense.

I am not saying I was not terrified of putting theory to action, I was more scared of that than the next attack! But I decided to view it as a game, one I had control of and could therefore not lose!